A buddy of mine is having problems with his RF Diablos cranks. No matter how tight we tighten the crank bolt the crank is still loose. We called RF and they told us this is a common problem if you take the cranks off a few times. Does anyone have a fix or the reason why this is happening. RF is sending him his 3rd crank set. We would like to fix the problem rather than keep replacing the cranks.
Diablos cranks and BB help
- Thread starter Kntr
- Start date
I thought that the spindle was zero taper? If so, it shouldn't flair out like a square taper would if it was repeated taken on and off.
This is making me second guess my decision to pick up a set of Altas cranks.
He means that the crank will not tighten down even when the bolt is all the way in *(i think)
I suppose that the splines have just been destroyed either from riding the cranks while they were loose or it could be from taking them on and off alot.
Or it could be that the threads in the spindle aren't deep enough to take the whole bolt
or the threads of either the bolt or the spindle are jacked
has he removed them alot or ridden them while loose? If not I would suspect it is the manufacturers fault but I don;t wanna point fingers too soon
I suppose that the splines have just been destroyed either from riding the cranks while they were loose or it could be from taking them on and off alot.
Or it could be that the threads in the spindle aren't deep enough to take the whole bolt
or the threads of either the bolt or the spindle are jacked
has he removed them alot or ridden them while loose? If not I would suspect it is the manufacturers fault but I don;t wanna point fingers too soon
hmmm, /me reads with interest.
Its been raining a lot here in MT so we ride in mud a lot. My buddy likes a clean bike so he takes the cranks off once in awhile to clean the drive train.
What happens is you tighten the crank bolt as tight as you can and the crank arm is still loose. Its like the bolt is too long and stopping. But the first time he puts the crank arms on, when new, they are tight. After he takes the arms off 2-3 times in a month, he cant get them tight again. RF said this has happened to a few people but not enough to change the cranks. This will be the 3rd time they have replaced them for him.. no questions asked. There must be a definate problem.
Has anyone else experienced this?
What happens is you tighten the crank bolt as tight as you can and the crank arm is still loose. Its like the bolt is too long and stopping. But the first time he puts the crank arms on, when new, they are tight. After he takes the arms off 2-3 times in a month, he cant get them tight again. RF said this has happened to a few people but not enough to change the cranks. This will be the 3rd time they have replaced them for him.. no questions asked. There must be a definate problem.
Has anyone else experienced this?
I had the same problem with my Diabolus cranks. To solve it I took out all the spacers on the spindle to tighten the driveside Crankarm directly to the end of the spline. It stood tight mounted that way but I lost the ability to adjust my chainline.
One screw for tightening the bearings and the crankarms is weak designt in my opinion. You have to mount and dismount them very often to get the right amount of bias with the spacers.
In comparison the Saint system seems to be far better, only the fixed chainline and the mounts for the small chainring are their weak point.
All in all I think this crank isn't worth it's high price! The first one I got was bent by manufacturer and the second one starts now some creaking noises. (Race Face is crazy aobut their sealing - but it is really weak - only one plastic seal!!)
And really - it is not that stiff - I can still see the chainring moving from the left to the right and back when I am climbing.
If the bearing blows now (and yes - I can see the signs) I will give a Saint set a try, maybe they are better. I hope so.
One screw for tightening the bearings and the crankarms is weak designt in my opinion. You have to mount and dismount them very often to get the right amount of bias with the spacers.
In comparison the Saint system seems to be far better, only the fixed chainline and the mounts for the small chainring are their weak point.
All in all I think this crank isn't worth it's high price! The first one I got was bent by manufacturer and the second one starts now some creaking noises. (Race Face is crazy aobut their sealing - but it is really weak - only one plastic seal!!)
And really - it is not that stiff - I can still see the chainring moving from the left to the right and back when I am climbing.
If the bearing blows now (and yes - I can see the signs) I will give a Saint set a try, maybe they are better. I hope so.
This does not sound quite right. The drive side crank is supposed to bottom out on the spindle. If it's not, then a couple of things could be happening:
1. The spindle has not been tapped deep enough (already been floated by others)
2. The shim stack (and initial preload) were not correct
It the case is 2 then I could see this happening since over compressing the shims (and seals) would give you a tight setup but would loosen over time because the seals get extruded out of the joint. The second set of Diabolus cranks I got I acciedentally put too much preload on (easy to do with a chain guide installed) and the non-drive side seal started oozing out. I fixed the problem be removing one of the white shims.
Anyway, has your friend tried tweaking the shim stack? RF gives you some extra shims and seals to tune the preload.
1. The spindle has not been tapped deep enough (already been floated by others)
2. The shim stack (and initial preload) were not correct
It the case is 2 then I could see this happening since over compressing the shims (and seals) would give you a tight setup but would loosen over time because the seals get extruded out of the joint. The second set of Diabolus cranks I got I acciedentally put too much preload on (easy to do with a chain guide installed) and the non-drive side seal started oozing out. I fixed the problem be removing one of the white shims.
Anyway, has your friend tried tweaking the shim stack? RF gives you some extra shims and seals to tune the preload.
No problems with mine, but I've only pulled them off a few times, and that was during initial set up.
Anyone else having issues with them?
Anyone else having issues with them?